Would You Do It Again?
by Pureauthor
Summary: /Oneshot/ He was silent for a moment, thinking about the question. 'Yeah.' He finally said. 'I would.' A pause. 'One condition, though...'


Would You Do It Again?

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Inspiration taken from a 'For Better or For Worse' comic.

* * *

She had long since collapsed onto the burning desert sands. Gasping for breath, she tried to grasp her lance properly, but only succeeded in fumbling and nudging her weapon further away from her.

The annoying, seemingly endless screeching of the wyverns still sounded around her. Groaning, she rolled her head to the left, enough to see Franz knock another Wyvern rider off his mount, before finishing him with a quick stab to the chest.

Only two remained, from the nearly two-dozen that had flew down to face them. The problem with wyvern riders, Amelia thought wearily, was that their mounts themselves were extremely effective shields from infantrymen. The tough skins of the mounts didn't help matters any, either.

One of the riders attempted to dive at the young cavalier. It was a mistake. Judging the clumsy move, Franz swung his lance, impaling the mounted knight through the shoulder. The rider gave a short cry and flopped to the ground.

Amelia closed her eyes, feeling her lifeblood seeping out through far too many wounds on her body. How many had she managed to take down herself before collapsing? Five? Six?

She heard Franz utter a groan of pain as the last remaining rider managed to score yet another blow on him. Cracking one eye open, she saw him doubled over, clutching his forehead. Nearby, the wyvern rider wheeled away, preparing for another strike with his sword.

Franz seemingly crouched for a moment, conserving his strength, and then lunged, just as the sky rider struck as well. His lance stabbed through the wyvern's chest, killing it almost instantly. Drawing a dagger, he managed to finish off the knight before it could strike him again.

Blood stained the once-golden sand black.

* * *

Tired. He was so tired.

Staggering back from the corpse, he stumbled slightly, shifting his position to the left as he caught sight of Amelia on the ground, seemingly unable to move. His mind processed that he should help her, and he began to walk towards her, intending to pick her up and head back towards the main encampment.

His legs refused to cooperate and dumped him onto the sand next to her. With a groan, he managed to drag himself forward enough that he lay by her side, staring into her emerald eyes.

They lay there for what seemed like an eternity but in reality couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes. Then Amelia spoke. "Franz…"

"…"

"Do you think they'll find us? In time, I mean?"

Tough choice. Choose realism, and crush hope now, or choose optimism, and see the hope gradually fade? Regardless, he'd never been able to lie to her.

"I… don't think so." He whispered through cracked lips. "The battle's not going too well… they'll have their hands full." He gave a dry, dusty laugh. "Probably won't even notice us gone until nightfall." They would die of exhaustion, blood loss, and the damnable heat long before that.

Amelia was silent for a long time. Finally, she spoke. "I… I did well, didn't I?"

Franz smiled. She was a fighter. "You did great. Just great."

Amelia's eyes narrowed somewhat. "You're lying." She mumbled.

"I wouldn't do that. Not to you, of all people."

"…" Amelia made no response for a while. Finally, she spoke again, with a hint of a sob behind the words. "Franz, I… I don't want to die…"

Franz reached out with his arm, drawing himself closer to her. Finally, he looked upon her face. It was stained with dirt, grime, and the trail of tears. Blood oozed from a cut on her neck. Her hair was matted and disheveled. A trickle of blood flowed from a cut on her lip. One of her eyes was bruised, leaving a discoloured mark on the skin around it.

He had never thought she looked more beautiful than she did now.

Reaching out again, he stroked her face comfortingly. "It'll be okay." He whispered.

Amelia gave a shaky smile. "It's one thing to say it, Franz, but…"

Franz gave a smile borne out of weariness. "Just because we don't know what happens next is no reason to fear it. You know what the holy men say, don't you? We'll enter the world beyond… a place without pain, sorrow, or suffering." He drew in a deep breath. "A golden world, in the light of which this grey one will fade."

Amelia's smile steadied; as if she could almost see the world he spoke of, shining bright, waiting for her. "Thank you, Franz." She said.

"Yeah… I think I needed to hear that myself too."

They settled back, to wait for the end.

* * *

He had long since rolled over onto his back, to avoid the crushing pain that a particularly nasty wound to his hip was causing. He'd done his best to stop the blood flow from several of the more serious wounds, but he never really had enough strength to apply sufficient pressure to the wounds to stem the bleeding.

He sighed despondently. One of the worst things ever had to be being lucid enough to know you were going to die, yet without sufficient strength to do anything about it. For that matter, it taking a torturously long time wasn't helping any.

He let his mind drift… to memories of his brother, his mentor…

"_We're the best and brightest of our age, bro, what we still face overwhelming numbers. If you ask me, all I can say is I hope we win."_

"_It is indeed an honour to see the skills I once idolized… developing in you, his son."_

He sighed. "I'm sorry, General Seth." He said to himself. "I guess I wasn't a worthy student, after all."

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted.

"… Franz?" Amelia was also awake.

"Hm?"

"What if they gave you a second chance?"

"…What?" Blood loss wasn't helping him process very well right now.

"What if you got to Paradise or wherever, and they told you 'Since you had such a short life, we'll give you another shot at it if you want.' Would you take it?"

"… Are you delirious?"

"… Could be. Does the delirious person know she's thinking irrationally? … Besides, everything's growing numb."

"Lucky you. I still hurt like Hades."

"You still haven't answered my questioned. Would you do it again?"

He grew silent for a while, thinking over the question. "Yeah." He finally said. "Yeah, I would." Then he paused. "One condition, though."

"Well? What is it?"

Shifting his hand, he reached over until he felt Amelia's. Clutching it tightly, he shifted his head so he could look her in the eye. A gentle smile blossomed.

"I'd have to be able to find you again."

The corners of Amelia's mouth twitched upwards. Then, with the last of her fading strength, she rolled over slightly, enough so that she could embrace him. A sparkling tear leaked out, spattering against his scarred armour.

"See you soon." She whispered.

Franz nodded, stroking her hair and murmuring comforting sounds until he knew she no longer heard him.

Silently, a gloved hand brushed back the golden hair framing her face. His eyes swept the landscape; taking one last look at the only world he had ever known.

No longer.

Franz closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the sand, and slept.

* * *

FIN.

Thank you for reading. Please review.


End file.
